Morocco Dogged by Drug Scandal

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Moroccan security forces have uncovered a drug cell involving incumbent and former high-ranking officials.

A recent crackdown on a drug cell in Morocco, in which a former member of parliament was arrested for drug dealing, has highlighted corruption and the widespread use of drug money in the North African country.

But though the crackdown has brought to the fore the issues of fraud; dubious funding sources for election campaigns; and the link between drugs and politics in the country, the involvement of officials has not been seen as an unusual occurrence in Morocco.

“Marijuana farms are literally by the roadside and hash production takes place on roads and near police checkpoints.” Geoff Porter, director for the Middle East and Africa at Eurasia Group told The Media Line.

“It’s common for local officials to have contact with the farmers, the processors or the smugglers and the funds generated from drug sales for local officials are laundered in industries throughout Morocco,” he added.

“The drug trade is quite prevalent in the north in the Rif Mountains, and it’s unlikely that the drug trade can be so conspicuous without some sort of government involvement,” he explained.

Thomas Pietschmann, a research officer at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said the problem of drugs and corruption was one that extended beyond Morocco’s borders, and represents a wider North African phenomenon.

“We do have this issue of high-level involvement in the political system and unfortunately Morocco is no exception in this regard,” he told The Media Line. “We never had the evidence, but we’ve been conducting cannabis surveys in Morocco for a few years. During this time we heard a lot of information about the involvement of politics in this.”

The uncovered drug cell was a testament to this, allegedly distributing drugs and importing coc*aine with the help of African officials and diplomats not subject to scrutiny at border crossings.

Furthermore, security sources estimate that around 50 people were involved in the cell, which included security officials, judges and a former member of parliament, only 30 of which were identified and 6 arrested, claimed Al-Jazeera in a report.

According to the UNODC, Morocco is the world’s main source of cannabis resin. Trafficking patterns seem to follow the established routes from the two main resin production areas in Morocco and South-West Asia to the main consumption areas in West and Central Europe

Morocco has become a convenient location for drug traffickers because of its proximity to Europe. For decades, Moroccan hash has been the mainstay of the European marijuana markets.

The Moroccan government reported a reduction of cannabis in 2008 following an eradication campaign.

A recent report said the Moroccan government documented 60,000 hectares cultivated with cannabis in the last year, compared to 76,400 hectares in 2005 and 134,400 hectares in 2003. But the UNODC noted that this was not reflected in data reported by countries on the origin of seized cannabis resin and Morocco remains the principal supplier of resin throughout the world.

Analysts talk of a strong decades-old link between drugs and politics in Morocco.

Dr. Amel Boubekeur, an Associate scholar and expert on North Africa at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut said that in previous crackdowns of this sort, the people implicated were in the military.

“It’s not that exceptional to have people in the military involved in drug affairs and drugs are an important part of Morocco’s informal economy,” Boubekeur told The Media Line.

The drug industry, she explained, was also a means for social mobility.

“There are extraordinarily large gaps between people. Drugs and illegal trafficking is seen as a tacit way to reach some social balance. Some people are very rich and others are poor but they close their eyes and let others be involved in drug efforts.”

Porter agreed that the drug trade in Morocco can be a vehicle for social mobility but only to the extent that it is profitable.

“It gives you the trappings of success and gives you the resources to pay bribes, give gifts, make party donations and organize political rallies, which can springboard you into parliament or a provincial position,” he said.

Morocco’s standing as a drug hub in Europe has put this country at odds with its European neighbors, especially Spain, and this has prompted Rabat to make an effort, or at least feign an effort, to clamp down on its booming drug trade and demonstrate to the world that it is serious in its efforts.

“There are periodic efforts by the monarchy to break up the drug trade,” Porter says. “The fact that it’s on Al-Jazeera means they’re demonstrating to the international audiences that they’re doing something.”

However due to the political and economic benefits the drug industry yields, the government is reluctant to come down too hard on the industry. Alternative development programs and a great deal of forward planning would be required for such efforts to take root and be effective.

Northern Morocco, as a case in point, has scarce industry and its mountainous landscape is not suitable for most crops.

“One of the crops that does grow well there is marijuana,” Porter says. “Were the government to eradicate the marijuana agriculture and not replace it with something else or not provide other employment opportunities, they’d be eviscerating a local economy and creating a destitute population.”

By turning a blind eye to the drug trade, he said, they can alleviate pressures on the state, and by occasionally cracking down on the industry the government can demonstrate to an international audience that it is concerned about this illegal activity.

Boubekeur agreed that the crackdown was mostly directed at the international community.

“For about two years now the King has been firm in demonstrating a real willingness to erase these practices and it’s because of international pressure,” she said. “It’s also a way for him to demonstrate his willingness to install a new rule and to take a cleaner path, especially with people who are linked to politics or the military.”

Corruption in Morocco is systemic and quite apparent, Porter said, implying that breaking the drugs-politics alliance would not be an easy task.

“In some instances the corruption marketplace is transparent in that you know what the fee is to get your passport and you know what it costs in informal fees to get that processed,” he said.

There are government campaigns to fight corruption but they are scarcely effective.

“The government doesn’t pay state employees enough to make corruption less appealing,” he said. “It exists because state salaries are so low and state employees feel they need to augment their salaries with the informal economy.”

Much like their source, trimming the heads of the drug trade still leaves the roots intact.




News Hawk- Weedpipe 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: THE MIDEAST NEWS SOURCE
Author: Rachelle Kliger
Contact: TheMediaLine.org - The Mideast news source
Copyright: 2008 The Media Line
Website:The Media Line
 
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